Let's look at royals and their motor cars. There's plenty of scope for royals from all over the world.
Starting with a couple of my favourites.

Royal Rollers lined up at Ascot

What a fantastic idea Nellie, I
I love old cars. With royals inside... that becomes much better...
Did QMary ever drive by herself...?

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Infanta Eulalia and Friends on Car Tour of Spain
Eulalia, the Spanish Infanta, and two friends stand beside the car in which they traveled all over Spain in 1910. Their chauffeur, Adolfo Fusi, stands beside the driver's seat.
IMAGE:© CORBIS
DATE PHOTOGRAPHED April, 1910

Ps. We don't think it was in Spain, but in France, according to the affiche over them.

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Great thread idea! Me heart Nellie!



(I've seen other snaps of this moment of Grand Duke Kirill with his wife, Ducky, in Sweden, during a car rally)

So glad you like the theme, Sabba.
And I love your Spanish royals with all their luggage on the roof.

I have never seen any pic of Queen Mary as the obvious driver but this is the closest perhaps.

Haha. That's great...!
Despite being considered a gentlemen's activity, I think I saw some women doing so (Pictures & filmes, obviously )

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Queen Mary is definitely behind the wheel, and with her hands on the steering wheel itself!

I very much doubt she drove, though. The King certainly didn't. The Duke of Windsor recalls in his memoirs being taken by taxicab by his mother, as a special treat for his birthday.

Later, Queen Mary had a notoriously bad chauffeur called Humphreys. She never complained or sacked him when he got lost enroute, which was frequently.

The Queen also had a penchant for picking up stray servicemen, many of them Americans stranded in the English countryside in need of a ride, which she would do with her thrifty nature, to justify the petrol expense. Her daughter, the Princess Royal, tells of a hilarious incident where they picked up an American airman in Gloucestershire.

He entered "with a jaunty, unpreoccupied air", sat down in the rumble seat inside one of the huge Daimlers Queen Mary used to use, which was directly facing Queen Mary, her lady-in-waiting, and her daughter, Princess Mary.

He turned his head slowly from the Queen, to Princess Mary, back to Queen Mary, then to Lady Cynthia Colville. A look of deep panic set into his eyes.

When Queen Mary, who wasn't at all shy with foreigners during the War, asked him what he did, he said he worked "in the Maternity Ward at a hospital". Men working at a maternity war, even with war scarcities, was HIGHLY unsual then.

After he left, much relieved not to be in the august queen's presence no doubt, Queen Mary shook her head, and laughed with that vulgar laugh of hers. "What on EARTH was an American serviceman doing helping out in a Maternity Ward!".

Humphreys probably got lost on the way back home.

Oh, Nellie probably has this photo.

Queen Mary was actually in a really bad car accident, with the self-same Lady Cynthia Colville! The car, being driven by Humphreys no doubt, got rammed by a LORRY during the War! The Daimler rolled over, TWICE, and the Queen got glass in her eyes, but was largely unhurt.

The photograph in question was taken when she went to her engagement (you didn't think a mere car accident where she was nearly killed would actually STOP her from carrying out her duties, do you?). It showed the Queen drinking a cup of tea at the home of a Londoner.

She looks shaken, but game holding her cuppa.

Queen Mignon of Yugoslavia, of whom her son King Peter once wrote "she was the best woman driver I've ever met", behind the wheel of her convertible. Please note who is at her side, without saying a peep. Her hubby, the King.



The Queen owned several motorcars, but it was this fantastic sleek Duesenberg which she loved best. She actually owned two, and her brother King Carol, three if I recall correctly. Since only 100 "Doozies" were made, that must make them the world's greatest Duesenberg-owning duo.

King Alexander himself preferred Packards. He owned 10 of them!



Edit: The Wikipedia entry is only partly correct. It notes that she owned Doozies, but says it was her brother Nicky who owned them too, not King Carol. Nope, I've seen a photo of the King's Duesenbergs. Of course, Prince Nicolas could've owned the cars too, which makes this family of car nuts really astounding.

He also had the first Jaguars ever imported to Romania. TWO.

I'll give my lips a rest for now, but just three more photos of Romanian Royals driving. This family were potty about cars.

King Michael in his favourite car -- a Jeep given him by an American general during the war. HE STILL HAS IT.




Princess Ileana, exiled in her home in Massachussetts, driving her whole family in her Volkswagen convertible, 1951. One time, she recounts, she was driving into Newton to go shopping, when suddenly a white mouse lands on her lap! It was her daughter's pet mouse, which had gone missing for a week. She almost caused a car accident.




Queen Marie, her son Nicky at the wheel, and I do believe one of her sister Sandra's daughters, Princess Irma perhaps. Missy looking very Isadora Duncanish.

Maravilha - what an amazing collection of royal stories you.

Here is mine about Queen Mary giving a lift to servicemen during the war.
I found this quote and am not sure where it is from.
" There was no reason why Queen Mary should remain in London during its years of danger ... and she withdrew quietly into retirement at Badminton, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort.
Many men and women of the Services stationed in those parts have pleasant memories of days when, as they walked along the Somersetshire roads, a large motor car would draw up beside them and a dignified old lady sitting in the back would offer them a lift.
Queen Mary would talk to them with kindly interest about their duties; and on setting them down the chauffeur would hand to each a small medallion as a memento of a casual meeting with the Queen Mother of England. "